DLE30!
#5130
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RE: NEW DLE30!
So I checked my DLE 30s' plug gap last night - it was only .010inches!! (much less than the recommended .18"). So I opened the gap to .024" and, today at the field, the engine ran perfectly!! NO missing at all! I've had this engine about two years and this is the smoothest it's ever run. Also started up VERY easily. The CG Sukhoi flew great today. I"m very happy with it now. And now I can move my Sukhoi back it the "RTF" column.
Ahicks - thanks for the tip \ reminder. I love it when a fix works and you've figured out the cause of a problem.
Ahicks - thanks for the tip \ reminder. I love it when a fix works and you've figured out the cause of a problem.
#5131
RE: NEW DLE30!
ORIGINAL: microdon2
So I checked my DLE 30s' plug gap last night - it was only .010inches!! (much less than the recommended .18"). So I opened the gap to .024" and, today at the field, the engine ran perfectly!! NO missing at all! I've had this engine about two years and this is the smoothest it's ever run. Also started up VERY easily. The CG Sukhoi flew great today. I"m very happy with it now. And now I can move my Sukhoi back it the "RTF" column.
Ahicks - thanks for the tip \ reminder. I love it when a fix works and you've figured out the cause of a problem.
So I checked my DLE 30s' plug gap last night - it was only .010inches!! (much less than the recommended .18"). So I opened the gap to .024" and, today at the field, the engine ran perfectly!! NO missing at all! I've had this engine about two years and this is the smoothest it's ever run. Also started up VERY easily. The CG Sukhoi flew great today. I"m very happy with it now. And now I can move my Sukhoi back it the "RTF" column.
Ahicks - thanks for the tip \ reminder. I love it when a fix works and you've figured out the cause of a problem.
#5133
RE: NEW DLE30!
That's nothing, I know a guy that bought a 4 cylinder Honda motorcycle and never checked the oil level. He drove the heck out of it until finally the engine blew up from guess what? No oil left in crankcase. That was a expensive lesson!!!!!!!!!
#5134
Senior Member
RE: NEW DLE30!
ORIGINAL: microdon2
captonjohn - I know, right? Part of me feels silly for not having checked that before, but I"m too happy now to let that bother me.
captonjohn - I know, right? Part of me feels silly for not having checked that before, but I"m too happy now to let that bother me.
#5135
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RE: NEW DLE30!
MTK - nice catch! Either I had the gap set correctly before and someone banged the plug while it was out, reducing the gap, or I mistakenly set it to .24 mm instead of inches (.010 inches = .024mm) - my feeler gauges show both inches and mm.
#5136
Senior Member
RE: NEW DLE30!
Setting the plug gap is no biggie. But please be kiaful with your decimals, I know what you meant
When one has been at it as long as me (hard to believe it's almost 50 years), one forgets solutions he created long ago. How many times have I re-created the wrong approach to a problem only to finally remember the solution created many moons before. Now THAT really irritates me..... and tells me the noggin is on its way south....LOL
When one has been at it as long as me (hard to believe it's almost 50 years), one forgets solutions he created long ago. How many times have I re-created the wrong approach to a problem only to finally remember the solution created many moons before. Now THAT really irritates me..... and tells me the noggin is on its way south....LOL
#5137
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RE: NEW DLE30!
Correction - I meant" ... and someHOW banged the plug while it was out..." Didn't mean to imply someone was sneaking around my build table in the wee hours of the morning....
#5144
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How to rebuild the DLE 30 - Woodruff key, bearings, etc
This past Sunday I had a bad crash with my CG Sukhoi (73") \ DLE 30. I loved this plane - probably my best flyer. Was doing an inverted flat-spin and somehow lost it while coming out. I must have mis-judged and corrected wrong. Anyway, the plane went pretty much straight in to a concrete runway (Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn). A good runway to take-off and land on, but not forgiving in crash situations. The plane basically exploded, including the DLE 30. Both the cylinder head and the crank-case broke. I disassembled the engine last night (after the requisite three days of grieving) and saw that the rest of the engine looks healthy. So I'm going to order the cylinder head and crank-case from Valley View and rebuild, but I can't get the Woodruff key off \ out. Should I heat the drive shaft to loosen the key? And then do I also heat the crank-case to pop the bearings out? Will I need to replace the bearings after heating them? Thanks in advance.
Mike
Mike
#5145
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microdon2,
I would find a way to check the crank before ordering those parts...if you crashed on a paved surface, especially with direct enough engine contact to damage the cylinder and crankcase, I would almost guarantee that the crankshaft is bent as well..I pranged one into a dirt field, and bent the crankshaft...chances of hitting pavement and NOT damaging the crankshaft are 1) slim and 2) none...I'm just saying...unless VVRC is giving you free shipping, I would wait and verify if the crank is bent/damaged...also, if it hit that hard, the bearings are also almost certainly damaged...been there, done that!
Good luck!
I would find a way to check the crank before ordering those parts...if you crashed on a paved surface, especially with direct enough engine contact to damage the cylinder and crankcase, I would almost guarantee that the crankshaft is bent as well..I pranged one into a dirt field, and bent the crankshaft...chances of hitting pavement and NOT damaging the crankshaft are 1) slim and 2) none...I'm just saying...unless VVRC is giving you free shipping, I would wait and verify if the crank is bent/damaged...also, if it hit that hard, the bearings are also almost certainly damaged...been there, done that!
Good luck!
#5146
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Wow, you're hardened. A crash like that would have taken me weeks, if not months to look at!
I'm with George regarding the crank. If you don't have one already, this might be a good excuse to invest in a cheap dial indicator? Doesn't have to be a real good one to tell you if the crank has run out or not. Harbor Freight and Amazon both pretty capable of selling them very reasonably?
I'm with George regarding the crank. If you don't have one already, this might be a good excuse to invest in a cheap dial indicator? Doesn't have to be a real good one to tell you if the crank has run out or not. Harbor Freight and Amazon both pretty capable of selling them very reasonably?
#5147
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George \ Ahicks - thanks for the suggestions. If I do get a dial indicator, how much out-of-alignment is acceptable?
btw - I'm definitely not emotionally over this crash - that's going to take a while (though I am feeling better each day). In fact this plane is still my screen-saver at work. But I live in an apt - ain't got room for a pile of busted-up plane on the kitchen floor!
btw - I'm definitely not emotionally over this crash - that's going to take a while (though I am feeling better each day). In fact this plane is still my screen-saver at work. But I live in an apt - ain't got room for a pile of busted-up plane on the kitchen floor!
Last edited by microdon2; 08-14-2013 at 04:02 PM.
#5150
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That is a lot of damage. Even if you replace all the obviously mangled parts, there are a lot of small bits in the carb whose damage may not be obvious but could bedevil you for a long time. Write it off and start fresh IMHO.